The White Wolf
by HoodieWolf
Summary: When a new student and teacher from Japan come into the school in the middle of the year,things start happening;mischievous creatures started causing havoc,believed to be the underlings of what locals call the Purple Demon. At least an individual is not bad. She's called the White Wolf,a mysterious hero . The gang'll be shocked to hear their true selves and dangers they'll face.
1. The Arrival Of The Wolf

It was a windy morning. A black-haired boy with an orange cap slumbered peacefully with his face planted into the center of his crossed arms that laid on the desk, acting as a pillow. Suddenly, a slightly plump, dark-skinned boy with a red headband appeared, crouching right beside the snoring one. He moved his head towards the boy's ear closer, and closer, and closer...until his nose hovered a hair's width from the tip of a fair ear.

" TEACHER'S HERE! TEACHER'S HERE! " yelled the plump boy, parroting the two worded sentence until his friend toppled off the chair in startle. Soon, he fell onto the floor too, but the only difference was that he was bursting with laughter.  
" Damn it, Gopal, " groaned the orange capped boy. That boy was also known as Boboiboy, while his friend is known as Gopal.  
" HUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! " laughed Gopal madly. At the back of the class sat a raven-haired boy whose nose pointed towards the window beside him. However, he watched the whole scene and couldn't help but chuckle. That was Fang. But his chuckle was muffled by the giggling of the other students. Boboiboy's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

" Hey, stop fooling around, guys! " said a girl sternly who was wearing a pink hijab. That girl was none other than the class monitor, Yaya.  
" Ha ha! Come on, Yaya, you have to get used to this, " replied Gopal while swiping a tear of laughter away from the corner of his eye. But suddenly, all sense of hysterical laughter vanished when he saw her taking out a pink pen with a cute ram bouncing sideways on top of it, along with the spring swaying left and right.  
" Ok, ok, I'm sorry, " he said sheepishly along with a crooked smile.

Just then, a Chinese girl with pigtails ran and round, blue-framed glasses ran into the class. She was running, but she wasn't panting heavily. In fact, she only panted lightly for a few moments before saying out and aloud for everybody to hear,  
" GUYS, THERE'S A NEW STUDENT AND- " she paused for a while since the students started muttering, interrupting her announcement.  
" Everybody, shush! " commanded Yaya.  
" Thanks, and I heard that she's Japanese! " The muttering grew louder after that.  
" So, what's she like? " said a voice that sounded forgotten. It belonged to Boboiboy, who was getting up while wincing, the pain of his back that hit the floor was still stinging.  
" I don't know! I just saw her back only from the principle's office and that's when I overheard her saying that she's the new kid and she's Japanese! All I know is that she's wearing a black hoodie and she's got a black bag. "  
" Wow, how mysterious...I wonder if she is how she dresses, " stated Yaya in curiosity.

Ying, who hasn't taken a step after opening her mouth, was still near to the door. She immediately told the others to get back to their seats when she saw a pretty woman with a blue hijab and glasses, their teacher. Something was following her. Something in black. But that in no doubt wasn't her shadow, it was the new student.

Once the teacher entered the classroom, the students greeted her like always. Firstly, Yaya would tell them to stand up. After that, everybody would cheerfully greet her. The teacher, was smiling brightly, her face full of positive emotion like always, but the new student who stood a foot beside her was a bit of the opposite; she wore a black hoodie and carried a black bag like what Ying mentioned, and her face surprised a few students.

She didn't look Japanese at all, besides the pale skin. In fact, to some students, she looked like she wasn't from any country at all! Does she have any American features? French? German, maybe? She just didn't look much Asian. She had long, thick shadow-black hair that was tied into a ponytail but was tucked under her hood, only making her thin, chin-length eartails visible. She also had jagged bangs that covered from her forehead to a milimetre above her eyelids. Her chocolate-brown eyes showed an uninterested, cold, or perhaps an emotionless and empty feeling.  
" Class, this is our new student, Urufu. And she's Japanese! " said enthusiastically when mentioning that the mysterious looking girl, Urufu was Japanese. She gave a small bow of her head to the class. " You will be seated right beside Boboiboy. " She pointed at the empty seat beside Boboiboy, which was also in front of Fang.

The five children felt a rather strange...presence that made their heart beat a little faster whenever she walked pass by them. Little did they know why her name was Urufu...


	2. The Arrival Of The Demon

" Pst. Urufu, which part of Japan are you from? " whispered the blonde girl in front of her, who was Amy.  
" Not sure. Been traveling a lot, " she replied in a low voice with a shrug. That was the first thing she said in this school. Her voice sounded flat, with a deep tone of maturity in there. Her voice wasn't squeaky and bubbly like the girls in the class. She also sounded like she came from America, which surprised the people who heard her voice.  
" How many countries have you been to? " she asked again. Urufu wanted silence. But her voice remained as flat as the last.  
" Countless. "  
" Why? "  
" Parents and jobs. "  
" What do your parents do? " Urufu didn't answer for a few seconds. But when she did, it was a shrug.

Boboiboy and Fang's heart beated almost twice the speed when she sat there. But it wasn't the cause of emotion, it was the cause of something else. But whatever that was, it was very strong...

" HAHAHAHAHA! " a pot-bellied man burst into laughter, almost falling off his chair. In front of him sat a man with a slim, oval-like face with magnetic purple eyes set handsomely in their sockets. His thin lips curled into a small smile and chuckled before taking a sip of his steaming hot coffee.  
" You tell quite a joke, ! " said the pot-bellied man, who was also known as . He was a very comical and an animated person. This so called person, 's lips curled into another small smile while his slim eyes closed in pleasure. He swiped a small strand of stray jet-black hair back to where it came from, which was the left side of his forehead.  
" Please, call me Akuma, " said gently. His voice was smooth and whenever he spoke, whoever heard his voice would have soothing, melted chocolate swimming in their head.

His bangs were neatly swept to the left, he seemed clean and polite, but his intelligence and patience was what made the principle want him. So the school thought that it was a good idea to hire a Japanese teacher. His handsome looks usually charmed the females and would make anybody trust him. So perhaps it was his looks that tricked the principle into hiring him.

Before starting another conversation, he took a sideways glance at the window beside him. It has been nine minutes of recess and there were already quite a number of students outside.

A particular boy with an orange cap was playing football with a few other students and another particular boy with a red headband and a green jacket with yellow accents. A particular raven-haired boy with glasses was shooting a basketball into the hoop over and over again, never missing a shot while a few other girls watched him behind a tree.

However, the _one_ particular student he was the most interested in was a girl who sat on the bench under the shade of a large tree. But she wasn't _actually_ lonely. She was accompanied by a two squirrels and a few sparrows which she shared her food with. That girl was wearing a black hood over her head, making her face barely even visible to Osoroshi Akuma.  
_What a lone wolf she is..._ he thought in his mind.

" Urufu... " he sighed and smiled at her name.  
" Aha! There's also a new student in the school, Akuma, and she's _Japanese_, like you! " said , who then drank his iced coffee. " Her name's Urufu. Strange name, huh? Sounds like a boy's name. "  
" Yes, it sounds like a boyish name, " said Akuma in his smooth voice, his eyes never leaving the shadowy girl who petted the squirrel that burrowed into her stomach. " And it literally means wolf in Japanese. "  
" Who would want to call their child a _wolf?!_ " exclaimed in disbelief.  
" Actually, the wolf means strength, loyalty, guardianship and leadership, but to some cultures, the fondness of solitariness. I find that she is what every culture says. "  
" What does Akuma mean, then? "  
" Oh, I don't know. Goodbye, . "

Akuma rose to his full height, which was six foot. He wore an unstained white collared shirt, a purple tie and jet-black pants. As he walked away, he couldn't help but smirk at how didn't now any single word of Japanese. If he did know some, he would be shock at the meaning of Akuma, which literally translates to...

Demon.


	3. The New Teacher

Urufu fed the animals with the large remnants of her sandwich and vegetables as she gazed at them. She didn't mind when her hand was accidentally pecked by the sparrows; they were still young and haven't left the nest.

Poor Avians, she thought sympathetically when they told her the whereabouts of their mother, which was heaven. She also felt sympathetic about the squirrels, whose mother died of starvation. A human noticed her skinny, limp but breathing body under the tree, but mistaken her for a corpse, so he picked her up by the tail and threw her into the garbage can.  
_Humans are so...uncaring,__said a female voice which only Urufu could hear. That smooth, gentle, womanly voice was always so familiar and warming to her._  
_At least father and mother were a little far from being that,__she responded while stroking the few young squirrels that nestled in her stomach._  
_Perhaps so. But I still loathe them. _Her smooth voice then grew a little hard. Urufu sighed and stared at the human beings who kicked a spotted ball on the field, then switched her gaze to a lonesome boy who shot orange balls flawlessly through a hoop.  
_I know that you're having a hard time putting away your emotions from them, so I won't judge you._  
_Thank you, Okami-sensei. _Even though Okami-sensei wasn't revealing her form, Urufu knew that her lips stretched into a pleased, flattered smile.  
_I am no mentor, but a part of you, so please, call me Rida._

Finally, the ball was kicked to Boboiboy, who then had a grin stretched across his face. Gopal stood at the goal with his arms outstretched, prepared to catch the ball. With what was the closest to a battle cry, the boy shot the ball, intentionally sending it flying towards the left side of his friend, but the ball denied his intentions and striked Gopal's face, sending him down to the ground.  
" Hehe. Yeah, awesome, " chuckled Boboiboy before running up to his friend. He pulled him up.  
" Ugh...why? " groaned Gopal.  
" I dunno. Maybe I wasn't aiming properly, " he responded with a shrug. Then, his eyes caught a lonesome, black figure sitting on a bench with rodents and birds surrounding her.  
" Hey, " said his friend. " What's wrong? "  
" You ever noticed something strange about that new student? Um...Urufu, if that's her name. "  
" Actually, " said a voice from behind. " I did. " They turned around to see Fang with a flat but suspicious expression on his face. " Sensed that certain feeling? "  
" I did. It's suspicious, " nodded Boboiboy. The two boys had a serious look on their face, but Gopal couldn't help but chuckle cheekily.  
" What? What's so funny? " said Fang in irritation.  
" Oh...I don't know...maybe it's the fact that you two feel a little... " he responded with a wide, cheeky smile stretched upon his face.  
" Shut up, Gopal! " exclaimed the two boys.  
" Anyway, should we talk to her now? " asked Boboiboy to Fang. Fang felt a little bit prouder since it looked like Fang was smarter than him.  
" I don't think so. We can't just walk up to her and ask questions out of the blue. The best option is to do it in class. "  
" Hmm...I guess that you're right. " Fang held back a proud smile. Then, the bell rang. Soon, all the students began sprinting back to class.

When all the students sat in their places, the blonde girl, Amy leaned in front and whispered to another girl,  
" _Hey, did you know that we're having a new Science teacher? _"  
"_No way! _" replied the girl in front in disbelief. " _Man or woman? _"  
" _It's a man. And I heard that he's also from Japan!_ " That caught Urufu's attention. Perhaps it wasn't the Tokyo type of person, perhaps it was a village one. She hoped that it was the village one, for she wanted to speak to someone in her dialect. If he couldn't speak in her dialect, she'll be glad to speak Japanese. " _And according to the other students, he has purple eyes! _"

Urufu gulped. Perhaps this wasn't the Japanese man she wanted to meet. She didn't have anything against purple eyes, but there was someone she had to be cautious about. Although he was gifted with a charming face and a gentle smile, he is truly an evil spirit born with a cunning mind and worked for the Yokai king.  
_U-Urufu, I feel a presence,_ said Rida in a worried voice. She clenched her fist tightly.  
_Maybe...maybe that new teacher's like us,_ she said, trying to push away the thoughts that that wretched demon would come. He's already taken an eye from Okami Rida when they fought, she can't let him take another.  
_I doubt it. That presence is a presence I've never forgotten..._

Urufu always became fidgety when she was nervous or impatient. She shifted in her seat, crossed and uncrossed her legs and scratched her hands. Her eyes glanced nervously around her, eyeing every talking student. Her breathing suddenly got heavier and heavier while her scratching got faster and faster. She tried listening to the other students' talking to find more information about the new Science teacher, but all she heard was useless babbling. She didn't even noticed that her skin broke and small bits of red was visible on the hand she scratched.

Meanwhile, Fang and Boboiboy were waiting for one another to ask Urufu some questions. Fang tapped his index finger's nail impatiently on his desk while Boboiboy had his cheek supported by his hand, sighing every minute. Finally, out of impatience, Fang beckoned Boboiboy in a whisper, which he heard and turned around hastily, moving his desk sideways by an inch.  
" _Why aren't you doing it yet?!_ " whispered Fang impatiently. Although Boboiboy couldn't hear much, he knew what Fang said by the heavy movements of his lips.  
" _What do you mean by that?! Since you always said that you're smarter than me, how about you do it!_ "  
" _You're much nearer to her! Also, you suggested the idea of talking to her!_ " Boboiboy sighed and rolled his eyes.  
" _Fine._ "

That was when he noticed that Urufu seemed a bit..._uncomfortable._ Although her face didn't say it, her fidgeting and immense scratching of her hands did. She seemed a bit more anxious than nervous. At least there was something he could talk about. So, he took a deep breath, said a prayer and started.  
" Um...Urufu? " he started, trying to keep his voice calm but a bit worried. She turned her head to him in a sharp movement. The scratching and fidgeting stopped. She just stayed perfectly still, waiting for Boboiboy to say what he was supposed to say. " A-are you okay? You seem anxious. "  
" I-I'm fine, " she stuttered.  
" Really? You've been scratching your hands and I think that they're bleeding right now. " Urufu took a glance at the hand she scratched. She wasn't surprised.  
" It's not bleeding. The skin broke, " she said casually.  
" Then why were you scratching it in the first place? " She had to think of an excuse. She couldn't just say she was nervous about the presence of a demon a wolf spirit in her felt, he would think that she's crazy and tell everybody about it! Or even worse! Whatever the consequences, she must never reveal her secret.  
" A skin picking disorder. Sometimes I pick my skin even if I don't know it. '' Luckily, she remembered that that type of disorder exists. Then, Yaya's voice was heard, telling the students to stand up and greet the teacher. Every student felt enchanted when they saw the new teacher, except for one student.

He had some Japanese features, except for his eyes, that were an enchanting, dazzling shade of purple.  
" _No..._ " she gasped.  
_It can't be, could it?_ said Rida in a cracked voice. _Please tell me it is not the wretched minion of..._  
_Rida, I'm afraid that it is the one we fear._  
" Hello, class, " said the teacher in a friendly voice and a big smile. " My name is . Osoroshi Akuma. "  
_It's that purple demon._


	4. The Follower Back Home

Akuma was playing his part _very _well. A bit _too well_, in Urufu's opinion. Looks like he learned quite a lot in being a Science teacher, or perhaps he's a fast learner.

He also kept that bewitching smile plastered on his face. How could the students not think that it was weird how their teacher had a smile for two whole periods? Urufu was the only one who wasn't looking deeply fond of the teacher, nor was she willing to raise her hand up whenever he asked anybody to answer a question, even though she knew the answer. She was the only silent one. The only one.

" Urufu? " called out Akuma in his usual smooth, friendly yet bewitching voice.  
" Yes, sir? " she responded in her own usual flat voice. She was trying her best not to run up to him and tell him all of his sins.  
" You seem awfully quiet. Are you alright? " His voice just sounded so worried and concerned like a mother's, but a demon's voice could never coax her.  
" I'm fine, sir. "  
" You should be a bit more open and participative, you know? " She responded with a nod.

Osoroshi's class felt like forever. She was sick of it and drummed her nails on her desk in impatience and irritation, but not too loudly to get anyone's attention. She glanced outside through her window, hopefully finding something interesting, even if its just a bird perching on a branch. She liked studying the details of things. Hopefully when she needn't to move from one place to another every few months, she would become an artist. The things she had been gifted wasn't just Okami Rida or the mind and words of a lawyer, but artistic skills.

Alas, the bell rang the second time and it was finally time for the demon to go. Much to the students' pleasure, no homework was given. And like always, after the teacher was nowhere to be seen, every student immediately started talking. But that day had a hot topic, Osoroshi Akuma was their hot topic, instead of the new student, Urufu, much to her relief. But she was also very irritated to hear the demon she loathed the most being praised. So irritated that she started scratching her hand and started shifting in her seat uncomfortably. The boy beside her was concerned yet suspicious, but he knew not to ask. The one who sat behind, however, had no concern for her but rather suspicion.

Then, a certain pot-bellied teacher with a red mask and a shiny, yellow belt walked in. Urufu was utterly confused at why he needed a mask in public, especially when he's a teacher teaching. But she chose not to ask, since it could offend someone. Then, the pot-bellied man took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs,  
" _GOOD MORNING, STUDENTS! _" He sounded like a military police.  
" _GOOD MORNING, ! _" responded the students the same way he did, except Urufu, who responded awkwardly.  
" _SIT DOWN. TODAY, WE WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT THE FRACTIONS OF JUSTIIIIIIIICE!_ "

Fractions was the easy one for Urufu. In fact, almost everything was easy for her. She was also gifted with intelligence and the ability to understand things quickly.  
" _WHAT IS 3/4+1/2?! _" Just when Fang wanted to raise his hand, he was a split second too late.  
" _YES, URUFUUUU?! _"  
" It's 5/4 or 1 and 1/4, sir. "

_It's okay, you'll get your chance,_ thought Fang with a sigh through his nose to calm himself down. But however, Urufu's arm was much quicker than Fang's, so was her brain. As the questions got harder and harder, the speed of the child's arm and brain didn't change at all. She was like a human calculator, answering every question without fail, especially the had ones. But she was slightly different from the raven-haired boy, she didn't answer the question proudly then snickered at the students' idiocy, she did none of those. She just acted like she was doing nothing but answering simple math questions.

Finally, at the end of the day, much to Urufu's and Fang's irritation, many students crowded around her desk, allowing her no chance of escape. Just when things couldn't get worse, Fang counted how many students crowded around her. _Every student crowded around her, asking whether they could help with their homework._ Fang was so shocked that 10% of his self esteem vanished and his fingers shivered. He quickly packed up his books and sprinted out of the classroom.

" _Please, Urufu, _" begged Gopal. " _I'll pay you any amount of money! Just help me with the 10 pages of math homework. _"  
" _Come on, lah, Uru! I'll treat you with Tok Aba's Special Hot Chocolate! Just help me with my homework, lah! _" coaxed Ying. But it seemed that she was overdoing it since she hung an arm around Urufu and patted her a bit too hardly on the back. She didn't like being touched. She tried jerking away but Ying was just a parasite. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. In one swift movement, she took her chair up and yelled angrily,

" _EVERYBODY, SHUT UP! _"

That was when everybody fell silent. Unintentionally, she knocked Gopal down when she lifted up her chair. At that moment, he was lying on the floor, looking at her with widely shocked eyes. She wanted to apologize, but somehow, she couldn't. She just took her bag and walked out of class without looking back like nothing ever happened.

Urufu walked a bit faster than usual when going home. She needed to tell someone that the demon was here.  
_Urufu, I feel a presence,_ said Rida. That suddenly alerted the girl. She stopped. _Someone's following us._  
_Who do think it is?_  
_I sense no threat, but I doubt that it's Akuma._

She then continued walking in the speed of before to erase the follower's suspicion. But when she turned around in one sharp movement and scanned the area. However, the follower had hid behind a wall and waited to hear for her footsteps to continue, and that follower was Boboiboy. He had his back pressed hardly against the wall, just waiting for her to continue. In his mind, he was wondering,  
_Why am I hiding? This is the route home._

While he was still waiting for her to continue, something suddenly dropped onto his head, causing a bit of pain. It was revealed to be a rock with a piece of paper covering it. Something was written on it. In curiosity, he unwrapped the rock and read the piece of paper which had the word _" LEAVE " _written in red ink on it. He gulped. That was undoubtly Urufu who wrote it.

Urufu ran on the rooftops with the speed and quietness of a deer, and to do so, she must only touch the roofs with the tips of her toes, but without much force. Though, she wasn't _that_ quiet. Her running made small, soft, tapping sounds. If a person concentrates hard enough, they would hear it.  
_Any idea why that kid was following us?_ asked Urufu while running carefully atop the roofs.  
_I don't know. It could be for an innocent reason like homework, or perhaps he suspects us,_ responded Rida with a voice of serious uncertainty. _Anyway, we should tell Hane about this._ ( Not pronounced as Haine but Haneh. Japanese stuff, man. )

She jumped down the last roof without any injury and started running on ground. She and Hane lived in an old, single house not far from Tok Aba's shop. While Tok Aba was cleaning the counter, he saw Urufu running with quite the speed. A few days ago, he caught a glimpse of a man and a mysterious-looking black-haired girl in a taxi, along with some luggages. He must've thought that that old house had finally been bought. He wanted to show some friendliness to the new citizen, but she was out of his sight in a few blinks.

Finally, she reached her house. The old house had a rusty, metal fence surrounding it along with a large rusted gate along with some dried, dead grass, giving the house an abandoned atmosphere, grey, chipped roof tiles, some peeled off white paint on the stained walls, a gutter and a few windows with brown streaks of stain. She took out a ring of keys from her pocket and unlocked the lock that was locked on a metal chain that wrapped around the gate. Then, she jogged into the house, followed by the sound of dead leaves being crunched under her shoes. She walked up the small steps and unlocked the wooden door with one of her keys.  
" _Hane-sensei? " _Urufu called out without a sound of panting. When she smelled the warm scent of rice, she charged towards the kitchen and saw a tall, white-haired man with amber eyes cooking vegetables in a wok with a spatula.

Hane was Urufu's mentor and guardian, but he was not human, he was a Tengu, he was like the rare, good ones that come from forests, not the common, evil ones that come from the misty mountains. However, he was bred, born and raised in the mountains, it was a mystery how he turned out to be a good-natured one. Because of that, he had been mistreated by his own kin for years, therefore making his black hair turn white due to living with fright and stress for years. The reason why it was still white was because he still had memories and nightmares of those traumatic experiences. Hane was often mysterious, but not cold. He had warmth, but his immense patience was what made him a Tengu. Although she had never seen him angered before, Urufu dared not test his patience. There was actually something she was confused about him: his age. He looked like a 25 year old but he was actually a 50 year old. She didn't know that Tengus were twice as old as human.

" _Hmm? _Oh, you're back, Uru, " said Hane in his usual casual and pleasant voice and a small smile.  
" Hane-sensei, there's something I need to tell you, and you won't like it, " said Urufu in an urgent, serious voice.  
" Met new jerks? "  
" Even worse. O- "  
" Now, now, if there's a bully, don't be reluctant to kick his _' weak '_ area. "  
" _Osoroshi Akuma is the new teacher there! My new Science teacher! _" The hand that was holding the spatula suddenly froze, leaving the vegetables laying still on the sizzling wok.  
" I can't believe it... " he muttered. Urufu couldn't see his face, but she knew that his pupils shrunk dramatically, a sign of fear.  
" Also, someone followed me back home. "  
" _Akuma?! _" he spun around in a sharp move, revealing a face more frightened than the last time's.  
" No. Just my classmate. All I know is that he's a boy with an orange cap. Rida sensed no threat, but he might be suspecting us. " Within a sigh, Hane's frightened face melted into a soft expression. He smiled and chuckled.  
" Or perhaps it's for a _different_ reason, " he chuckled and stroked her head. The head was where Urufu didn't mind. " You have grown into a young, beautiful- "  
" Shut up, " she said sternly and gave him her cold eyes. But he found that annoyed expression adorable since she was a child and a more than a foot shorter than him. He chuckled and pinched her cheek teasingly, which made little Uru growl.  
" Go and set the table. Lunch will be ready in 10 minutes or more. "


	5. Night Roaming

Night had fallen when Urufu finished all her homework. Not that she spent the whole day doing it, she just spent more than half an hour only to finish it. But she wasn't going to snuggle in her bed just yet; from the drawer of her bedside table, she took out a sketchbook with a mechanical pencil and eraser in the ring, then continued her last drawing: a somewhat realistic sorrowful girl. The other unrealistic part about it was it was a little like Anime. She sat on her chair wile doing so. She focused intently on it, so focused like a real artist.

However, that wasn't the only sketchbook she ever had, there were ten completely used sketchbooks; five on a wall shelf above her table that sat Northeast to her bed and the other five in that table's drawer. The ones in her drawer were the ones she used when she was between five to nine while the others were used after her ninth birthday and till the present.

Her room was quite a simple one. A white bed with a brown comforter that leaned against the wall, a plain old wooden table along with a matching plain old wooden chair and a vertically rectangular window just in front of her table along with white floral curtains draping over it, only allowing a thin ray of moonlight into the room. Although the furniture was plain, her walls were decorated with her drawings.

There were drawings of sorrow, fear, monsters she'd see in nightmares that happen in occasion and other slightly metaphorical drawings like a boy with medium sized white wings and a straight jacket huddling himself in cage, a girl with a bleeding hole in her chest that was shaped like a heart painting a smile on her teary, frowning face and some others. However, none were of happiness, just negative things.

Those were all the present year's drawings. Every new year, she would tear down all the drawings she had on her wall and keep them in a file. The ones that were stuck to the wall were the ones that seemed like a good job to her, but every drawing was a fantastic job, she just didn't notice it. She also didn't like praise, since she thought that all her drawings were simple, nice drawings.

Strangely at first but not surprising if you knew her whole past, she would always draw a picture of a weeping girl with a pair of parents in traditional Japanese clothing walking away from her. The girl had outstretched arms, desperately reaching for the pair, but blood-red ribbons that sprouted from the ground behind her held her back while the parents had no eyes. The mother one was holding a baby in her arms.

Urufu paused for a second after she finished doing the last detail, then lifted up her head and looked at the drawing, which was right under her window and a centimeter away from touching her table. She then lifted her head higher, gazing at the small, faint ray of moonlight that seeped in, which made her play her memory...

Her memory was painful and full of betrayal, which took place when she was a seven year old. But she'd gotten used to accidentally playing it since she learned how not to feel any emotion at all. When it finished, she sighed and outlined the drawing with a black pen from a cup-full of pens of different thicknesses. When finished, she rubbed any traces of pencil from the paper and put the book back into the bedside drawer.  
_I'm ready, Rida-san,_ said Urufu, still sitting in the chair, just gazing at the ray of moonlight with a blank, vacant face. _Want to explore this new, small town by the name of Pulau Rintis?  
I'm always ready to explore a new area, _chuckled Rida.

The girl walked to her bed, her long, black hair that reached the end of her back flowing gently and gracefully as she walked. Above the head of her bed hung a mask she received on her ninth birthday. It was a wolf mask carved in wood by Hane. He wasn't the best carver but he wasn't that bad at all. He painted the mask white and dipped the tips of the ears and curved fur on the cheeks in crimson red paint while he stuck fake fur in the ears. There was also red paint on the oval-like eye holes, acting as red makeup while the kanji word of wolf was painted on the center of the forehead.

Urufu took the mask off there and put it on her face, put on her black hoodie then walked towards the window, only to pull back the curtains and open the window to its widest. Then, her hair turned white from her scalp to the end. Those weren't the only changes; she grew white wolf ears, a tail that reached the backs of her knees, white fur that grew from her elbows to her wrists and knees to the ankle and long, sharp claws that replaced her human nails, even her toenails.

Then, the final change was her right eye dissolving into a shade of bloody-red, along with a thin, black, slit-like pupil with thin, black veins that stretched from there to the the end of the iris. That eye was slightly bigger than the other, which was her usual, brown eyes.

At that moment, Rida and Urufu switched roles; Urufu played the one who spoke in the body's consciousness while Rida was one who controlled the body. Rida jumped out of the window without flaw, landing on the roof with a soft tap. Whenever Rida was the body, her physical abilities improved so much more than Urufu's; she would have immense, inhuman agility, the senses of a wolf and the strength of a berserker.

She scanned the houses for a moment, making sure that everyone was asleep and no one was looking out of their windows. Then, she inhaled the fresh air of the small town and different scents seeped into her nostrils. She exhaled through her mouth, showing sharp, wolf teeth from the sides.

She started off by jumping towards the roof that was more than ten meters away from hers, which she did so without bending her legs too much. Whenever she jumped, it looked so abnormal but graceful while when she landed on the roof, she'd land on it with the sound of a faint clap. However, only the sharp claws that replaced her toenails made that faint sound; her feet barely did anything.

Instead of running on rooftops like the ninja she was, she walked on it. She decided not to run even though she had gotten quite a lot of rest when she was residing in Urufu's consciousness. And yes, even Urufu " sleeps " when she's not in control of her body. She doesn't really sleep, after all, she still could see what Rida could see, and the longer she stays in the consciousness, the longer she " slept ". Not only could she gain energy by residing in Rida's consciousness, but she could sense emotions and presences like Rida could when Boboiboy was following her. But since Rida was a wolf, she could still sense emotions and presences, but only at a shorter range while Urufu was able to do so in a longer range. Oddly, even though the one in the conscious cannot control the body, neither of them felt numb; they felt what the body felt.

Another reason why she didn't run was because she wanted to look at the streets and do her best to memorize them without stopping in her tracks. With just scanning a few areas of the street, she knew that the area was a peaceful, humble-looking place. Then, she spotted a small cafe, which made her say,  
_That cafe with the " Tok Aba " sign looks like a nice place. Perhaps you can tell Hane about it.  
I think I will,_ responded Urufu. A small smile appeared on her face, but was concealed by the mask. Then, she continued jumping to other roofs that would let her see more parts of the neighborhood.

Suddenly, Ochobot was awoken by a sound. A sound that closely resembled to the sound of someone landing on the roof. Suspicious and slightly startled at the thought of thieves or Adu Du, he called and shook Boboiboy lightly, but just enough to make him wake up. The boy's left leg was hanging on the edge of the bed while the covers only covered his right leg, most of it sagged down until the tip touched the floor. Ochobot felt a bit disgusted when he saw a line of drool from his mouth.  
" _Hnng... _" groaned Boboiboy who was half asleep.  
" Boboi, wake up! I think I heard something, " whispered the yellow robot. " It might be a thief on the roof. "  
" _Hah? A thief?!_ " He almost yelled. That was what pushed away the sleepiness. Now he was alarmed. He rushed to his window and opened it in a hasty manner, then boosted himself up to the roof with some wind power.

_Rida, I sense threat,_ said urufu in a cautious manner. _It's not that strong, though._ When Rida spun around, she saw a capped boy with a black t-shirt and messy hair, but his facial expression sent a strong, clear message: he was ready to fight. He also held a yellow, lightning-shaped weapon that crackled with yellow electricity around it. However, he seemed a bit shock for a moment when he saw a tail and furry limbs, along with scary-looking claws. But the one that shocked him the most was the red, unusual eye.  
" W-who are you?! " he yelled, doing his best to put a fearless expression. " Are you even human?! "  
" What about you? " said Rida in a curious manner, sending her voice up and down so he wouldn't recognize the voice of his classmate. She tilted her head to one side so he would never suspect Urufu since she's not like that. But Rida wasn't really like that either. " Are you human? "  
" _Lightning Kris!_ " he shouted, then threw a lightning sword in her direction, which she successfully dodged by raising her arm, the tip of the crackling sword almost touched her armpit.  
" I'm not here to fight, but to explore, " she said in a flat voice, which might be a mistake. After saying so, she jumped off the roof and onto another.

The boy was stunned at such agility he saw. In his eyes, she was better than any ninja! But that wouldn't get in his way of questioning her. He immediately turned into Boboiboy Cyclone and raced after her on his hoverboard. The masked, white-haired stranger was fast, but his hoverboard managed to bring him close enough to her.  
" _Hey! I have questions!_ " he yelled, not aware that it was night time and everyone's sleeping. When she turned her head to the back, her eyes widened and she ran faster.  
_Rida, I don't sense any threat anymore. Plus, he's not a human being! Should we trust him?_ said Urufu in a slight, eager manner. She wanted a friend. A humanoid friend.  
_I don't think so. I still have doubt,_ she responded. _Remember what I told you, Urufu, to not be betrayed is to not trust._

When Boboiboy grew tired of his hoverboard not bringing him any closer to the running stranger, he changed into Boboiboy Thunderstorm and immediately appeared right in front of her. Rida and Urufu were confused, but chose not to analyse the answer to this strangeness, so Rida jumped over him, but although she was twenty feet off the roof, the red-eyed version of Boboiboy appeared right in front of her in a flash, so she was left to no choice but to fight.

She swiped her clawed hand on his chest in one swift movement, lifted her feet up and pushed his chest, sending her falling upside-down. While doing so, long, thick, crimson-red, ribbon-like mist appeared, swirling around her wolf ears, tail, furred arms and limbs. This was when she was in her fighting mode. She then landed on her fours, one leg with a knee bent and the other outstretched, the foot far behind.  
" If you want a fight, you'll get a_fight! _" growled Rida.

When the boy got onto the ground, he threw several red lightning swords at her, but none touched her. The swirling, red mist around her tail stretched and caught all of the lightning swords and threw them back at him. One struck him, which pushed his to the edge of the roof, but he did not fall. While he was coughing, and dust covered his sight, Rida took the chance to run away. By the time he could see, she was nowhere to be seen.  
" _Dammit!_ " he hissed. With a defeated sigh, he returned back home.

Rida kept jumping from one roof to another until she started panting lightly, only then, she stopped and looked back. She sighed in relief once she saw not a single person in sight. The red ribbon-like mist then vanished.  
_We should probably tell Hane about this. I've never seen another inhuman that's not one of the Yokai King's minions,_ said Rida in a serious voice. Although Urufu was silent, she knew that she also agreed with her.  
_Hey, there's an old man down there!_ said Urufu. Then, Rida noticed him. Twenty feet below was a wandering old man with messy, grey hair, pajamas, along with sounds of ghostly moanings. He walked with his back heavily hunched, which made Urufu think that he was in deep pain, which she then mentioned.  
_I don't know. Something seems a little off... _Rida replied in an uncertain, suspicious tone.  
_I don't care. Let's just help him. _Rida knew that although the girl had a cold, emotionless face, she was still the heart of an innocent child and would take pity in the poor. The old man truly did look a bit off, but flr the sake of Urufu's worriedness, she jumped down the building and decided to check on the old, moaning man.

" Sir? " was the first thing Rida said when she jumped down without making a sound. She landed behind him and made a few moderately loud footsteps so she wouldn't startle him. " Sir, are you alright? " Then, Urufu felt something...malicious. Then, Rida felt it too, which made her stop in her tracks.

Now she knew what felt so off. She saw two faint, lines of almost invisible blue fire hovering over his rear end. It seemed like a cat's tail, but it wasn't sticking out from his pants, the beginning of the tail just...hovered. Not only that, but there were two almost invisible, triangular blue flames hovering above his head. But the one thing that gave it all away was the moaning. The moaning sounding like a cat's dead cries.  
_Tsk. Should've known, _said Rida.  
_I was wrong, _sighed Urufu.  
_Never mind that. I admit that I really want to help this man, but I'm afraid that we're out of cat repellent charms. Looks like we can't get this wretched Bakeneko out. But there might be a small chance of doing so if we fight until the body is tired.  
_  
In one sharp movement, the head that belonged to a possesed old man spun 180 degrees around, his body not making any movement. He had two fangs on his top row teeth and two other on his bottom row teeth. His eyes didn't resemble a human's eyes at all. They looked like they were burning woth blue fire. His eyebrows furrowed then hissed at the. At that moment, a smooth, malicious voice came.  
" Calm, my minion. " After it being said, a figure in a purple kimono and a purple oni mask jumped down from a building beside them. The mask had furrowed eyebrows and large, grinning teeth with wicked fangs. " She isn't to be killed at this moment nor by our hands. " Rida and Urufu knew that malicious voice very well.  
" How'd you even find us just immediately, Akuma? " growled Rida, small amount of red mists came out.  
" Well, it's just a lucky guess that Hane and you two would be at such a peaceful, quiet, town. "  
" I still haven't forgotten the eye you took from me, so in a fair exchange, how about I take both of your snake eyes? "

In all of a sudden, Akuma threw his head back and released an insane, high-pitched laugh which lasted about ten seconds. When he stopped he slowly put his head back down and looked into Rida's glaring eyes with his slim, purple, snake-like eyes.  
" You'll get your chance next time, but for now, I will be savouring you for the right moment. "

When he jumped back onto the building, the possessed man gave her one last hiss before jumping onto the building, following him.  
_Why aren't you doing anything?! Now's the chance! _Urufu yelled.  
_At this hour, everybody's asleep, it would be best not to make some noise._


	6. Weirdo

When Urufu came down, she saw Hane fixing the buttons on his white coat. When he noticed her, he paused his actions to wish her a good morning, which the girl responded to.  
" You're a little bit early today, huh? " she said, stifling a yawn. She put the bag she clutched down, letting it lean on the stairs.  
" Yeah, I've heard that many of the village's people had their livestock injured or killed. Some of them even got two holes in their necks or simply died of nothing at all. There's no doubt that this is Akuma's work, " he said in a slightly concerned tone. Hane was a veterinarian. The reason why he chose that job was because he had healed many animals during the days where he lived in solitary among a forest.  
" Also, not only that has happened, but it looks like one of Akuma's Bakeneko minions had possessed an old man when Rida was roaming. " Hane froze for a second, then sighed.  
" I wonder how many days or weeks would it take Hitaro's snowy owl to deliver a pack of cat repellent charms along with some snake banishing charms. "  
" That wasn't the only thing I was to tell you about. One of my classmate, the boy who followed me home is not a human being. Both Rida and him fought last night. "  
" Huh...perhaps he could be an ally...but I have _big_ doubts about that. Anyway, the sandwich's already on the table. "

While Hane went to the vet's by his usual grey car, Urufu went to school on foot like usual. But she went to school with the determination of apologizing to Gopal. Each step she took became faster, until she was running with the speed of an athlete.  
" HEEEEYYYYY! NEW KIIIIIIIIIDDDD! " shouted a voice that belonged to an old man. In all of a sudden, she stopped in her tracks, then turned her head towards the direction of the sound. It came from the pleasant-looking shop last night: Tok Aba's Kopitiam. Much to her surprise, she saw Ying, Yaya, Fang, Gopal and Boboiboy there. Only the old man and a yellow robot waved at her, the others weren't impolite, they were just a little frightened at her. Except for Fang, who developed some rivalry.  
" GET OVER HEEEEEEERRRREEEEE! " In order not to be rude, she walked to the shop.

" So, new kid, or Urufu, " said Tok Aba while making a cup of hot chocolate. " I heard you're from Japan. Tell me, what's it like living there? "  
" Well, I live in a village, so you could say that there' nothing out of the ordinary there, except that the villagers there are quite superstitious, or perhaps _overly_ superstitious, " she responded while looking at the robot who swept the floor. Then, it noticed her.  
" Uh...why are you looking at me? " asked the robot in a shy voice.  
" I just...never seen a robot like this before. Not to mention a hovering one. In fact, I've never seen one functioning so smoothly before. " Unexpectedly, her words flattered the bot. He giggled.  
" Heheh. Well, thank you! "

" Um...what was I saying about again? " mumbled Boboiboy while scratching his chin. " Ah, yes. That mysterious white wolf girl I saw last night. " Urufu's breathing hitched, but she quickly faked a cough. " She had like this type of blood-red mist swirling around her and claws on her hairy hands and feet! And they're really hairy! "  
" It's not hair, but fur, " said Urufu in a slightly irritated voice. " Fur is much finer than hair. "  
" Whatever, lah. Anyway, she's also got this weird, red left eye with black veins! "

" Aiyah, enough of this _' Wolf Girl '_ chit-chat, here's your hot chocolate, Urufu, " said Tok Aba while putting a cup of hot chocolate onto the counter.  
" I don't remember ordering one. "  
" Oh, come on, it's my treat! You're new, after all. " Once she blew the hot steam away, she licked the cream and took a sip. Then, she felt the warm, pleasant flavors rubbing her tongue in an affectionate way, making her remember of a certain memory...

_" Mama! Mama! " said a small, black-haired child who ran towards a woman in a pink kimono who cradled a child in her hands. She was sitting under a tree that shielded the sunlight away from her fair skin. " Mama! I found a puppy! Can we take her home? "  
" I'm afraid not, my little Koinu, " responded the woman who was the child's mother. She was heavenly beautiful. She had long, obsidian-black bangs that covered her forehead and long, black hair that could be easily mistaken for silk. Koinu meant pup. " The puppy has a family. We shouldn't let her mama or papa worry about her if she gets taken. "  
" But mama, Rida-san said that we must take her home! The puppy was crying because the older dogs killed her parents and siblings! " said the child with a sad pout. The mother was shocked at such imagination that a seven year old had.  
" Koinu, I think that Rida's wrong. Dogs are strong beings, after all, and would manage fine on her own. But since she's a pup, " her mother paused to transfer some meat from a lunch container to a blue handkerchief. " You should give her some meat. She's probably hungry. "  
" Thank you, mama! "  
" Oh, and little Koinu. "  
" Yes, mama? " The woman took out a flask.  
" Drink some soy milk. It took me a lot of time to make it, so it should taste good. " When the child took a sip, she felt the warm, affectionate flavor caressing her tongue while its warmth massaged her throat.  
" It tastes good, mama! " _

Urufu stared at the drink while she replayed the scared memory, the only good memory she remembered.  
" _It...tastes...good..._ " she soundlessly uttered while she stared at the chipped-off whip cream with large eyes.  
" Uru...fu? " said a squeaky, girly voice. " Urufu! Hey! Earth to Urufu! " She then blinked herself awake, finding a Ying's hand shaking at her face.  
" Y-yes? " Urufu responded, completely clueless of what had happened when she spaced out.  
" Why are you crying? " That was when she noticed cool, sticky liquid on her cheeks. " You okay or something? "  
" Yeah. I'm okay. "  
" Geez. First, you hit me with a table and now you're crying? You're a weirdo, " said Gopal.  
" I agree, " said Fang after taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

_Weirdo. _The one word Urufu hated the most. It was the one that made her sound like an outcast. Like the inhuman monster she is. After that certain incident, children and adults would start calling her a weirdo, a misfortune or even a Yokai. Some would even throw rocks at her. In a fit of anger, she set her cup down with a slam, causing the bottom of it to crack, and yelled with more tears streaming down her face,  
" _At least you all have parents you love you! Who think that you're their little Koinu! Nobody loved me! Nobody will ever love me!_ "

She then scooped her bag and ran away with impeccable speed, more tears streaming down her face. Because of Gopal's words, she refused to apologize to him of the incident. Ochobot slapped the back of his head in an angry manner.  
" _Ouch! Why did you do that?!_ " he exclaimed, completely bind of his actions.  
" Stupid chocolate eating fool! You called her a weirdo! That's what! " yelled Ying while pointing at him.  
" And that made her say something about a Koi-what and nobody loving her? She really is a weirdo, " stated Fang in a nonchalant voice.  
" Koinu means puppy in Japanese, " said Ochobot. " You've forgotten that I can translate, huh? Plus, judging by her mentality that I scanned while she was yelling, they were incredibly high, so what Gopal said might have triggered a certain emotional back story. "  
" What? So the blame's on me?! " exclaimed Gopal in an incredulous voice.  
" Hell yeah it is! " yelled Ying in a feisty voice. " Don't you know?! Even she has emotions! "

Urufu cried silently in a tree. Why did her memories had to be so devastating? Rida did her best to coo her in the most affectionate, motherly way possible, but that did little effect.  
_Uru...don't be sad. Hane and I love you, _cooed Rida. She wanted to hug and wipe the child's tears away, but she didn't have a physical form.  
_I know, but there's still a hole I cannot fill, a hole left by my parents,_ she responded depressingly. Rida didn't know what to say anymore.


End file.
